CH63

Kate came home that evening and opened the front door. "WOW! What smells good?" Letting her nose take her to the kitchen where she found Castle busy cooking.

"Castle what are you up to?" Kate sees he has multiple pot and pans going at the same time.

"Hi Kate. I'm busy doing something mother suggested." Castle tells her. Then turns to face her from his side of the counter.

"I know you have no reason to believe me, but I just wanted to liven up dinner from the same old boring. I know it didn't work out and I'm sorry. It wasn't my intent to make everyone sick." Rick starts his explanation.

"Castle I, …." However Castle holds up his hand to get her to stop.

"Mother suggested that I try cooking different countries foods using REAL recipes and not something I dreamed up. So tonight at least and maybe all week or maybe all month is Turkish food. Next might be Greek or Irish, I don't know.

This time if it tastes bad it's the recipe or me selecting it in the first place. And if we don't like that dish I'll never make it again." Rick finishes his explanation.

"Oh there are some weird items in some of these recipes, like pomegranate molasses. Whoever heard of pomegranate molasses? And do you know how hard it is to find some of these things?"

"Well I'm glad you found something to put your creative talents into instead of making us all sick. You don't want to know what I would do to you if you did that again." Kate warns him.

Castle lowers his head. "I'm sorry Kate. It wasn't my intention to make anyone sick. I just thought, …. Never mind."

"Richard I need a moment of your time." Jack speaks up.

"Can you watch this for me? Don't burn this, don't let this boil and don't let this one get dry. If it does add this." As he shows her a bottle. "I'll be right back." And heads for the outdoor patio area.

"What's up Jack?"

The Senator from New Jersey is receiving a guest. It is the Senator from New York." Jack explains.

"Seems we have gained someone's attention. Just give me the crib notes I don't need word for word." Rick asks him.

"They are starting off with pleasantries. He has been offered a drink. He asked for whiskey. Now he is asking how Dialysis is. Now he is being informed about the visitor he had that knew too much about the three of them and used McMaster and Wichita by name." Jack tells him.

"Our guest probably has more contacts and is going to find out that Dupree doesn't exist. Or is so black he can't find out anything about him. Which might lead him to lean on Roy." Rick speculates.

"There is now a discussion about how this affects their project since two of them have been forced out due to renal failure.

Now there is discussion about the flash drive you left behind while he was on the Dialysis machine.

There is a comment about having McMaster and Wichita search for and eliminate Dupree and Agent Mann.

Interesting! He has indicated it may be time to activate a mole he has planted." Jack explains.

"Does he give a name?" Rick asks hopeful.

"Negative." Jack responds.

"Damn it! There just had to be a wrinkle in here somewhere didn't there?" Rick punches the air.

"The project is unaffected by their stepping down due to health concerns. The contacts they all have are sufficient to complete the task.

The senator from New York is taking his leave now." Jack tells him.

"Jack dial the burner phone for me, NOW! And use Dupree's voice." Rick tells him.

"Dialing."

It takes a moment. "Yes?"

"Hand the phone to your guest Senator. Do it now." Rick tells him.

A moment later a new voice is on the phone. "Yes?"

"You Senator are a very bad boy. Just how much blood do you have on your hands Senator? Though I'm guessing you could care less." Rick introduces himself, sort of.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to think about one thing Senator, just one thing. If you want to keep your kidneys I would be very careful what you drink from here on out. Including that glass of whiskey next to you." And Rick ends the call.

"I believe he has thrown the phone and that it is broken. He is now ordering everyone outside." Jack explains.

"He is ordering that the house be swept for bugs and that everything liquid in the house, starting with the glass of whiskey he was drinking be tested.

Now he wants the surrounding area to be searched. He is probably looking for you.

I believe they are alone again only still outside. The project will continue he is telling his host.

He's leaving." Jack concludes.

"Well at least he's running scared. But another mole? What did I do to piss off the Universe this much?" Rick asks not expecting an answer.

"Another mole, another mole. Someone he hasn't been using lately if at all. Someone he trusts or has control over. FBI, AG's office maybe? Most of these guys you don't buy over a long term unless they had too much to lose. How much is too much?" Rick sits at the outdoor table.

"Someone who he can make people do things and not draw attention to himself. Not someone who owes him a favor, but someone he has control over. If he was part of this he would already be involved. No this is a backup plan." And Rick sits there thinking.

Then suddenly jerks upright. "No, can't be. Please god tell me I'm wrong." Rick has an idea.

"Jack I need you to monitor the devices left at his work and the ones I left at his home." Rick tells him.

"Understood." Jack tells him.

"Now how much do I tell Kate? You and I are in deep, deep trouble my friend. Really deep." Rick tells him.

"You knew she was going to have to be involved sooner or later Richard." Jack reminds him.

"This could ruin us Jack, really ruin us."

"She may hate you but at least she'll be alive." Jack argues.

"Yea alive with a heart so broken she'll never love anyone or anything ever again. Some life that is." Rick lays his head down on the table top. Lifting it back up. "Maybe a security blanket and an insurance policy.

Jack I need three tickets from here to Hawaii. Two adults and one child. They fly out the day after tomorrow and don't come back for a least a month. First class naturally. Purchase them under the Rogers name and make them out for the three lovely ladies." Rick tells him.

"Understood, if they are not here they can't be used as leverage." Jack thinks he gets it.

"Maybe I can ease Kate into this and not have a house come crashing down on her. … And her heart." Rick starts praying. "I'm doing my best Johanna, I really am. Please don't hate me." Rick gets up and heads back for the kitchen.

"It's about time Castle, I was afraid I was going to, … ruin, … this." Kate looks at him as he comes into the kitchen.

Forgetting the food she steps up to Castle and places a hand on each side of his face. "You've been crying Castle. What is it? Please talk to me. I know I was mad but I'm not that mad." Kate looks straight into his eyes.

Castle can't help it as another tears starts down his face. "After dinner Kate, I still have a fence to mend with Alexis." Rick asks of her.

"You promise?" Kate asks still holding his head.

Castle nods. "I promise. Go get Alexis this should almost be ready, if not over ready." He adds a quick chuckle.

"You promise Castle? I'm holding you to it because you haven't seen me mad yet." Kate tells him then reaches up on her toes and gives him a quick kiss. Then heads upstairs to find Alexis and Martha.

"This is pretty good dad." Alexis tells him as she starts to eat with a little more enthusiasm.

"You really are a pretty good cook Castle. I don't know why you think you have to do something to the food." Kate tells him.

"I am sorry. I promise not to do it again." Castle tells him.

"DAD?" Alexis is not convinced. She knows how long she has been after him not to.

"I know pumpkin, and I'm sorry. It, … just got out of control. I've got enough Turkish recipes to last a few weeks then we can switch to Greek maybe. And there is Chinese of course. Lebanese, Italian, lots of places." Castle tells them excited.

"Can you throw in some local American into that Castle? Maybe Cajun or Creole for example?" Kate asks him.

"You know that's right. Yea, I can do that." Castle is still excited.

After dinner Castle agreed to cards to appease Alexis for what he had done to her. He lost of course. Even Kate lost again tough to be honest she was more interested in what came after the card game and Alexis was in bed then winning.

After tucking Alexis into bed Kate comes downstairs and sits in Castle's lap and wrap's her arms around his neck. "Ok Castle, what's going on?"

"You afraid I'll run out on you Kate?" Noticing she is sitting on him.

"I can go get the cuffs if you prefer." Kate threatens.

"I think we can save the cuffs for more entertaining pursuits." Castle grins and arches his eyebrows a couple of times.

Kate hides her face in his neck because she knows she's blushing. "I'm looking forward to those cuffs, … and the whip." As her blush deepens.

"I put two on order just for you. They should be here in a couple of weeks." Castle teases.

Kate waits a minute for her blush to subside then pulls her face back out to look at him. "You're avoiding the topic Castle. Start talking."

Castle takes a deep breath. "Fine. You were told correctly I am working on something for him. When I read everything that was sent me via Jack I was shocked to see someone I knew was involved in the case. Not that he's bad, he just got caught up in it and now he can't get himself out of it." Castle starts.

"Someone you know? Personally? A friend of yours?" Kate looks at him a minute, when suddenly her face changes.

"Yea, you know him too." Castle tells her.

A tear starts down her face. "NO, can't be. He's a good man Castle. I've known him since I joined the force practically. He wouldn't." Kate is shaking her head.

"It was a long time ago Kate. He was just a rookie and got caught up with a couple of corrupt cops. He tried to get out the second he figured it out. But he was in too deep Kate. He couldn't get out." Castle tells her.

"He was almost like a father to me. Mine disappeared into the bottom of a bottle. He caught me in the records room looking up my mom's case file. He could have ended my career when he found me, but he didn't." Kate tells him as another tear rolls down her face.

"He was my best friend Kate. He was like a brother I never had. Oh the stuff we would do together. I'm still amazed we're not both still rotting in jail for some of what we did.

I think even mother knows only a fraction of what we did. She might know more. Mothers usually do. I about had a heart attack when I saw his name listed. I was sure it wasn't him." Castle now had his own tear running down his face.

"What did he do Castle?" Very afraid of the answer.

"I can't tell you that Kate. At least not yet. You'll remember I told you we will be working only on the really big cases." Castle tells her.

"The ones that never make it into the press." While Kate finishes it.

"I need your help with something." Castle tells her.

"Anything! Name it!" Kate is in. Like she had a choice.

"I think his family is going to be targeted soon. That was why Jack took me aside."

"They're going to kill them? That'll break him."

"They won't kill them. Not just yet anyway. But they are likely to pick them up and take them where they can be controlled for an extended period."

"And force him to do what they tell him to."

Castle nods his head. "This is where you come in."

"Anything Castle. Name it."

"I've got Jack purchasing first class plane tickets for them. I'm also going to give you the house key and a car key along with a duffle bag full of cash. I want you to convince them to take it all and leave without telling him."

"Castle as soon as he knows they are gone he'll freak." Kate is not liking this idea.

"Leave that part to me. He's still my best friend. And yes he knows I'm working on this for him. He has for a little while now."

Seeing the look on her face she is giving him. "I wanted to hear his side of it Kate. He's my best friend. I couldn't leave him hanging waiting for his head to get chopped off."

"No I suppose not. Where are you sending them?"

"To my house in Hawaii for a month. You need to tell them they can't call him or they just might all end up dead. And I want you to take her credit cards and cell phones away from her and the girls before you leave."

"That's why the duffle bag full of cash."

Castle nods his head. "They can't leave a trail that will lead them to where they are. Hell even if I sent them to Rome I don't think they would be safe if they started using their credit cards.

Oh I also need to give you the security code for the alarm system."

"When do I do this?"

"They leave the day after tomorrow around 7:00 am I think. So you need to do this tomorrow while he is at work. I'll take care of him so he doesn't make it home tomorrow.

You need to convince her Kate. They are all dead if you don't."